United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) Combines Forces With Other Recreation Giants to Ensure Successful Implementation of OHV Route Designation Rule

United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) Combines Forces With Other Recreation Giants to Ensure Successful Implementation of OHV Route Designation Rule

The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC), the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), Americans for Responsible Recreational Access, the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), the BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) and United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) have partnered to develop a land use database. The LAND (Land Access Notification Database) is a website for OHV enthusiasts to list issues of concern in their forests regarding the U.S. Forest Service OHV Route Designation travel planning. The issues identified by the users are then discussed and acted upon by this conglomeration of recreation giants.

The LAND enables us to identify user needs across the nation and across the lines of recreation, from off-highway motorcycle, to ATV, to 4x4 motor vehicle”, stated Carla Boucher, well-known land use attorney for UFWDA. “This collaborative approach will allow the allied organizations to pool resources and provide for a comprehensive approach to dealing with route designation” stated Duane Taylor from MIC.

The allied organizations will also utilize the information in the database to help users stay involved in the matters that mean the most. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) published its Travel Management; Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use rule on November 9, 2005. The rule requires each National Forest or ranger district to designate those roads, trails, and areas that are open to motor vehicles. This will be a massive undertaking that will require individual forests and districts to undergo an extensive process of route identification, evaluation, designation and mapping. Many forests have already started the process and others will begin soon.

Please take this opportunity to review the LAND by clicking here. If you have been active at a National Forest in your area please let us know by completing a database submission. If you are aware of upcoming meetings regarding OHV use or have a report about a recently completed meeting or hearing let us know. If you have specific route recommendations prepared, let us know and we’ll help you spread your message to the U.S. Forest Service through our organizations and through other users like you.

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United Four Wheel Drive Associations (UFWDA) is the leading representative for four wheel drive enthusiasts. UFWDA is a group of individuals, clubs, state, regional, provincial and national associations and businesses in the United States and around the world; our members span the globe from the U.S. and Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Japan, South Africa, and Iceland. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of this effort contact United Four Wheel Drive Associations today at 7135 S. PR Royal Springs Dr., Shelbyville, IN 46176, 1-800-448-3932 or visit www.ufwda.org.

Carla Boucher, Attorney
United Four Wheel Drive Associations
P.O. Box 15696
Chesapeake, VA 23328
(757) 546-7969